Hair curlers for permanent waving



June 21, .1960 c. L. OTTO EI'AL 2,941,534

HAIR CURLERS FOR PERMANENT WAVING Filed April 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 21, 1960 c. L. o'r'ro ET AL 2,941,534

HAIR CURLERS FOR PERMANENT WAVING Filed April 12, 1.956

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofice Patented June 21, 1960 2,941,534 HAIR CURLERS FOR PERMANENT WAVING Carl Louis Otto and La Nelle Burnham Otto, both of 956 5th Ave., and Joan Briton, 150 E. 72nd St, all of New York, N .Y.

Filed Apr. 12, 1956, Ser. No. 577,770 6 Claims. (Cl. 132-41) The present invention relates to hair curling devices and has particular reference to that class of device designed for home use to provide a so-called home permanent wave, as distinguished from such a wave produced by a professional operator with the aid of the special equipment ordinarily available to such an operator.

For the production of a home permanent wave, various kits of the required materials are commercially marketed in packaged form, but in the use of even the best of such kits a tedious and cumbersome ritual of application is required.

Basic to all such kits is the so-called Waving lotion which, while varying in specific composition depending upon the source of manufacture, is generally a water-soluble saponified thioglycolin-ammonia, usually combined with various modifiers such as wetting agents and scents or masking perfumes, and which is supplied in liquid form.

The manner in which such lotion is used is to apply it to stresses of hair individually with swabs of cotton or the like, the lotion-soaked hair then being wound on curlers, and after being wound thereon is treated with additional lotion swabbed into the curlers. After a predetermined length of time, varying with the specific composition of the lotion, the head is water rinsed, with the curls still in place, and the head then damp-dried with a towel.

Most of the waving lotions commercially available require the use of a neutralizing solution, and if such isrequired, the neutralizing solution is swabbed on to the damp-dried curls. Again, depending on the specific formula employed the neutralizing solution is left on the curls for a predetermined period. Following this procedure the curlers are removed, the hair shampooed, damp-dried and reset with fresh curlers for the final setting or curling.

' It is evident from the foregoing that the procedure now required is both tedious and cumbersome, particularly with respect to the application of the waving lotion and the initial winding of the tresses of lotion-wetted hair upon the curlers, and it is the general object of the present invention to both simplify and render easier the manipulation required to reach the stage of the procedure at which lotion-saturated tresses are in position in curled form on the curlers.

To this end the invention contemplates in one of its aspects the provision of a new and improved form of curler for effecting a permanent waving function, which curler carries in desired state (dry, paste, semi-liquid or liquid) the waving lotion which can be used to saturate the tresses of hair to be waved subsequent to their being wound upon the curler, advantageously in dry state, by suitable wetting and manipulation of the curler and the tress of hair wound thereon.

For carrying the invention into effect, the invention contemplates the use of an outer core member consisting of a body of elastically resilient foam material of a plastic material which advantageously but not necessarily may be of isocyanate or polyurethane. Also advantageously,

but not necessarily, the external surface of the outer core member may be cylindrical in contour, the form of the outer core member being annular with a central bore extending therethrough, longitudinal reinforcement or stiffness of the outer core member advantageously being provided by a longitudinally extending hollow insert of any suitable material, preferably an extruded plastic material, which, for reasons hereinafter more fully dealt with, is in one or another fashion perforate to permit passage through the insert of fluid from the interior thereof into the outer core member. Further, in accordance with the present invention, the curler includes an inner core member, which may be in the form of a spirally wound sheet of paper or other suitable and equivalent absorbing material, or which may be a core of cellulosic material or the like, which constitutes the carrier or reservoir for the lotion to be used.

In addition to the above described components of a preferred form of curler embodying the invention, there is further employed a retaining member which serves the function not only of retaining in place the hair wound upon the outer core member but which also performs an additional function hereinafter more fully described.

In devices of the kind to which the present invention is directed, production cost is an extremely important factor and in another of its aspects the invention contem plates novel methods and means whereby a curler having major components of the kind above briefly described, may be rapidly and very cheaply produced, particularly with reference to the perforate hollow insert employed to longitudinally stiffen the outer core of the curler and to separate the outer core from the inner core or cartridge which in the finished product is saturated with waving lotion.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of curler embodying the principles of the invention and also illustrating suitable methods for the manufacture of a perforated insert component thereof, such constructions being illustrative only and in nowise limiting so far as the scope of the invention is concerned:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the major components of a curler embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the components illustrated in Fig. 1 and a hair retaining member for use with the core or hair supporting assembly;

Fig. 3 is a similar perspective view showing an assembled relation of the core assembly with the retaining member, with the resultant removal of the inner eartridge component of the core assembly;

Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section showing the core assembly component illustrated at the right of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing more or less diagrammatically a form of perforated hollow insert and a portion of a tool for perforating the same;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of still another form of perforated hollow insert that can be produced by a cutting die of the kind shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the die and insert as shown in Figs. Sand 6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of still another form of insert and tool for perforating the same; and

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view showing the insert of Fig. 8 and the-manner in which it is perforated by the tool shown in Fig. 8.

Referring now more particularly to the device illustrated in Figs. 14 inclusive, the outer or hair supporting core member 10 is comprised of elastically resilient porous foam material, preferably, as previously noted, of a synthetic resin of which isocyanate or polyurethane are pre ferred examples, but as to which the present invention is not limited. As herein employed, the term foam materialis used in its generic sense and isintended to eIn- Such material is very soft and pon edikeandhas sub- -stant1al ly no appreciable resistance to bending or-othcr deformation. Its lack of substantial resistance to radial compression constitutes an important advantage in its use as a curler'but some additional stilfeninglongitudinal- 'ly'is required in order to obtain best-results.

"In the specific example illustrated, the .outer' core .or supporting member is of annular cylindrical form, being provided with a cylindrical internal bore 12 through which there is adapted to be inserted a tubular insert 14 which in'the embodiment illustrated is in the form or a cylindrical annular tube provided with a plurality of perforations 16. Advantageously, the'insert tube-14f is economically produced in the form of an extrusion of .any appropriate plastic material such as vinyl or the'like, which has a certain degree of flexibility but which isnot as substantially limp as the foam material of the outer core or supporting member 10.

The tubular insert component 14 ,serv esasa container or retainer for an inner core or cartridge component 18 which in the form illustrated by examplein .Fig. 1 consists of a roll of paper or other equivalently absorbent material that has been saturated with waving lotion, which in the cartridge is advantageously in 'dry .or paste form rather than in liquid form. Numerous known hair waving lotions, some of which require subseguentapplication of a neutralizing solution, and others of which do not, may be used for impregnating the cartridge 1.8, the specific analysis of the waving lotion forming .no part of the present invention.

So far as the present invention is concerned, however, the waving lotion is most advantageously of theclass .embodying water-soluble saponified compounds, of which thioglycolin-armnonia is an example. Obviously, within the scope of the invention, other specific chemical compounds may be employed.

It has previously been proposed to provide curlers .of thegeneral character herein disclosed in which the outer core or supporting component ,1.0 hafs directly been impregnated with the waving lotion, but itlhas been found that that procedure is subject to certain serious deficiencies, among which is that to a certain limited extent, chemical reaction may take place between the mostdesirable of the waving lotion compounds and the plastic materials most desirable for the purpose of forming the-outer core or supporting component, which reaction results in .deterioration of the effectiveness ,of the device after extended periods of time. Stated in another way, direct impregnation of the foam plastic material with appropriate waving lotion compounds may result in shortened so-called shelf life of articles carried in inventory by merchandisers thereof.

Additionally, it has been found that with curlers in which the outer core or supporting component isdirectly impregnated with the waving lotion (some of which lotions are chemically relatively strong) it is diflicult to effectan impregnation sufiicient to accomplish the-desired purpose, without leaving a residual amount of lotion .in the core which, if allowed to remain over the period necessary to effect the waving operation, may have a detrimental efiect on the hair wound around the device.

By the present invention the deficiencies of the prior proposals are eliminated in a manner which will now be explained.

The waving lotion is applied to the central core or cartridge 18 and the latter may be fully saturatedwith such lotion. The cartridge is then assembled within the insert 14 and the assembly in turn inserted within theouter core of supporting component as shown in the right hand portion of Fig. 2 and in the section of Fig. 4.

in use, the assembly shown at the right ofFig. 2. is first wetted and hand manipulated by squeezing so .that the water-soluble waving lotion is forced outwardly through the perforations in the insert into and through the pores of the foam material of the outer core or supporting component 10, until the'latter is sufiiciently saturated. After this operation, there still may be a substantially quantity of lotion in the inner cartridge 18, which, with the passage of time, might-further detrimentally seep into the outer component to make the concentration of such solution in :the latter undesirably strong.

The outer or supporting core member havingbeensaturate'd with waving solution, the tress of hair is then wound therearound and held in place by a suitableretaining member or component, which advantageously is in the form such -.as thatindicated generally at 2 0 at the left of Fig. 2, and which .intthe embodiment illustrated comprises a head portionZZ from which three fingers, 24, 26, 23, project longitudinally, the head 22 connecting these fingers spacing the latter so that when the retainer component is assembled by longitudinal movement relative to the supporting or core component, the fingers 2.4 and 26 extend over the exterior of the supporting component ,10 to retain their hair wound on the supporting component while the finger 28 projects into the hollow insert 16 for the purpose of anchoring theretainer elementZD in place. As will be noted from Fig. 2., the free end of the :finger, 28 is advantageously made relativelyblunt -as indicated at 28a, and when the retainer component is applied for the purpose of holding a wound tress of hair .in place, the finger 28 operates as an ejector to remove-the acartridge18 from the bore of ,the insert 14, from whichcartridge the desired amount of waving solution necessary to appropriately saturate the component :10 has been removed, the ejection of the cartridge 18 with its residual content of waving lotion thus resulting in an appropriately stabilized condition .for the action of the waving lotion with which the component 10 and the hair wound around that component are saturated.

Depending upon the specific composition'of the waving lotion, subsequent neutralizing and rinsing operations: may orrnay not be necessary, but as-to suchfurther operations the present invention is not concerned, being directed to the improvement in the application of the waving 10- tion to the hair in the curled or wound state of the latter for whatever period of time may be required toeifect the desired purpose.

.As previously noted, it is a very important factor for devices of the kind under consideration that cost bekept to a minimum, and in connection with that aspect of the present improvement, the production of "the foam material by known extrusion methods or the'equivalent constitutes little, if any, problem. The same holds .true for the production of inner core-or cartridge members to .be impregnated by the waving lotion.

However, the production of the plastic insert member which must be perforated or otherwise made .pervious to the passage of liquid from the interior to the exterior thereof presents more of a problem.

For the purpose of -illustration, ,we 'have shown -in Fig. 1 an insert 14 perforated by a number of holes 16 that may be produced by punching or equivalent operations. However, other andmoreeconomicalzmethods of production may be employed, certain examples of which are given, without limitation, in the arrangements shown in Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive.

Generally-speaking, the cheapest mode of production of elements suitable for the intended purpose is by-extrusion, and in Fig. 5 there-is illustrated -at 1 4a an element of generally cross-shaped section having :-a number of lands 3t) separated by groovcsor recesses 32. .Such a shape can obviously be continuously extruded for subsequent severing into desired lengths, and in :ordcr to provide the necessary communication for passage of'lotion between the interior and exterior of the element, the extrusion may readily be passed through a rotatingdie 34 having spirally arranged internal cuttingprojections 36, operative to perforate the lands 30 to produce a series offfhfc lically extending slots 38, the function of which is essentially the same as that of the perforations 16 of the element 14 shown in Fig. 1.

By means of a tool similar to that shown at 34 in Fig. 5, a cylindrical extrusion providing an element 14b may be provided with a helically extending slot 40 extending around the entire circumference of the element and affording the necessary means of communication between the interior and the exterior of the elements.

Still another form of insert is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the extrusion 140 being in the form of a multipleridged body having a series of ridges 42 the bases 44 of which may readily be cut to provide a multiplicity of perforations 46 (similar to perforations 16 shown in Fig. 1) by rotating boring bar 48 having an appropriate cutter 50 mounted thereon.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the desired perforate insert may take many specifically different shapes. Also, it will be evident that the other components of the curler may take specific forms other than those hereinbefore described as preferred examples for the device.

It will further be evident that, depending upon the specific materials employed for the various components of the device and also depending upon the specific analyses and properties of the lotions employed, various modifications of the structures hereinbefore described may readily be made. For example, in some instances the hollow insert need not necessarily be perforated but may be of a material highly permeable to passage of fluid through the wall of the insert. Generally speaking, however, perforate inserts permitting free flow of fluid through the wall are to be preferred. Also, if the nature of the Waving lotion is such that the inner core or cartridge can be satisfactorily impregnated and assembled as a dry component, it may be possible to utilize the inner cartridge as a stiffening member and eliminate the intermediate insert. In this connection, however, it is to be pointed out that with the use of the intermediate hollow insert acting as a stiffener, as well as a separator between the inner cartridge and the outer hair supporting core member of foam material, the device is usable for dual purposes. When the hollow stiffening insert is employed, and the lotion-impregnated inner cartridge is ejected, the device comprising the outer foam core member with its assembled stiffener, and the retainer component, can, after appropriate rinsing of the wave lotion from the outer supporting member, be used subsequently an indeterminate number of times as an ordinary hair curler.

Accordingly, the invention is to be understood as including all forms of structure and all methods of manufacture of the components thereof falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a hair curler comprising a first body of elastically resilient foam material adapted to have a tress of hair wound thereon, said first body being hollow and a second body of lotion-impregnated material located within said first body, said second body acting as a carrier for a water-soluble hair waving compound adapted to saturate said first body and hair Wound thereon upon wetting of the article and manual manipulation of the wetted components, and a retaining component shaped to engage said first body to retain a tress of hair thereon and means on said retaining component to eject said second body from the article when the retaining component is applied to the latter to hold the tress of hair wound thereon in place.

2. An article as defined in claim 1 in which said retaining component comprises a body separable from the remaining components of the article and embodying a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending fingers fixed to a common head, said retaining member being applied to the assembly of the remaining components, by longitudinal movement with one or more of the fingers of the retaining component engaging hair wound on said first body to retain the same thereon and another of said fingers constituting said means extending into the bore of said hollow first body and operating as an ejector to remove said second body from said first body.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said retaining component comprises a member having at least three spaced and substantially parallel extending fingers, each of said fingers having a free end and being joined at their opposite ends by a connecting end portion, the spacing of said fingers being in substantially triangular relation with respect to a cross section of the retaining component, and the spacing being such as to permit two of said fingers to extend longitudinally over the outer surface of said first body and a tress of hair wound thereon, while the third finger extends through the bore of said hollow first body to hold the retaining component in assembled relation.

4. A hair curling device comprising an outer annular body of elastically resilient plastic material having substantially negligible resistance to compression and bending, a hollow perforate tubular member of elastic plastic material extending through the bore of said body to longitudinally stiffen the latter, a cartridge impregnated with a water-soluble hair waving compound located within and retained by said hollow plastic member, and a unitary hair retaining component longitudinally separable from and engageable with said body, said retaining component embodying one or more portions engageable with the outer surface of said body and the hair wound thereon to retain the latter in place and means integral with said portion for engaging and longitudinally ejecting said cartridge from within said hollow perforate tubular member.

5. A device of the character defined in claim 4 in which said hollow perforate tubular member is in the form of a cylindrical annulus.

6. A device of the character defined in claim 4 in which said hollow perforate tubular member is noncircular in cross section and embodies longitudinally extending and alternating ridges and recesses, the ridges embodying a multiplicity of axially spaced perforations affording communication between the interior and exterior of said member.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,894,795 Seward Jan. 17, 1933 1,919,600 Seward July 25, 1933 1,965,953 Curtis July 10, 1934 1,995,688 Seward Mar. 26, 1935 2,077,198 Anderson Apr. 13, 1937 2,156,909 Boyer May 2, 1939 2,288,446 Gemerchak June 30, 1942 2,600,727 Berman et a1. June 17, 1952 2,720,206 Moses Oct. 11, 1955 2,752,923 Ludwig July 3, 1956 2,758,604 Graf Aug. 14, 1956 2,793,645 Grant May 28, 1957 2,842,140 Otto et a1. July 8, 1958 

